what dash cam should I buy?

ronberge

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I recently had the unpleasant experience of being wrongly ticketed by a LEO (the first ticket I've ever received) and I'm determined not to let it happen again. I've been doing research on dash cams and have found the following two which seem popular:

1. http://www.spytechs.com/car-cameras/dual-view-cam.htm
2. http://thevideocopilot.com/Order_VC-250.php

Has anyone had experience with either of those? I'm wondering how they compare to the dash cams reviewed on this website.

Thanks for your advice.
 
Can't see the 2nd one, but the first has a spectacularly bad specification!
0.3 Mega pixels ! We use 2MP minimum.

 
Only dashcam the first site lists is HERE. 1280p30, 2 channel w/GPS, LiPio not supercaps. ~$190 Canadian.

On a side note. our old friend "SpyTec" in NYC doesn't seem to have a website or be in business anymore other than perhaps as an Amazon seller. Doing google I got hits on what appears to be a compleely different company. If anyone knows what's happening with SpyTec please post a reply ;)

Phil
 
I recently had the unpleasant experience of being wrongly ticketed by a LEO (the first ticket I've ever received) and I'm determined not to let it happen again. I've been doing research on dash cams and have found the following two which seem popular:

1. http://www.spytechs.com/car-cameras/dual-view-cam.htm
2. http://thevideocopilot.com/Order_VC-250.php

Has anyone had experience with either of those? I'm wondering how they compare to the dash cams reviewed on this website.

Thanks for your advice.

1. Viofo A129 Duo - Very reliable. 1080P Front + Rear - Known Bug dupe frame every 90 Frames. Occasional Dropped Frame. Needs SDK and Firmware to resolve. Not a huge deal. Camera is rock solid reliable. I run two, one in each vehicle, and both are work horses.

2. Viofo A129 Pro - Very new. Has several bugs according to forum. 4K front. 1080P rear. Sure the bugs will get worked out.

3. Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO - Very high rated product. Top Notch Customer Service. Always available and responding on forum to help people. Equal to Viofo in build quality. Lacks a few features of Viofo but Street Guardian doesn't release features until if they are tested to work as described.
 
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They just do some sort of GPS tracking business now by the looks of it

@jokiin - This guy is asking about Dash Cameras and I'm doing more raving about your product than you! You're one of the most active members on the forum. Let this guy know about what you can offer. The one's he listed are pure junk. People are very happy with your Street Guardians from the likes of reading and you are one of the most responsive companies for customer support.
 
@jokiin - This guy is asking about Dash Cameras and I'm doing more raving about your product than you! You're one of the most active members on the forum. Let this guy know about what you can offer. The one's he listed are pure junk. People are very happy with your Street Guardians from the likes of reading and you are one of the most responsive companies for customer support.
I don't promote my own products, if someone asks about specific products that they have chosen I'll comment on those but I don't push my own products as an alternative, ultimately people need to choose what suits what they want from a product, price, features, performance etc
 
I don't promote my own products, if someone asks about specific products that they have chosen I'll comment on those but I don't push my own products as an alternative, ultimately people need to choose what suits what they want from a product, price, features, performance etc

Agreed about not being pushy. However, the options this guy selected are abysmal. At least steer him towards a modern reliable camera =).
 
What he look at ( i can not see ) i assume are very cheap cameras, and those i dont think are a good idea to go for.
But i have precious little knowledge with cheap cameras to come with alternatives.
Maybe OP should say a price he are willing to use.
 
Agreed about not being pushy. However, the options this guy selected are abysmal. At least steer him towards a modern reliable camera =).
When products are rubbish I don't have a problem with telling people that, I will still leave the choice to the end user to make though
 
The second site has some disinformation, seems to be referring to very old cam systems. Honestly not sure they know much about dashcams and like the first site the prices ain't nice :( @jokiin and others, I sent member spytec a PM, they were last here about 2 years ago so I don't expect an answer. They were good folks to do business with :cool:

If the OP @ronberge is looking for a cam with an integrated rear-facing lens, the B2W is a very good choice. The A129 Duo has a remote rear lens you mount at the back glass and also has an infra-red option on a short cable which you mount in front looking rearward. The SG9663DC has a remote rear lens too and is a best design and build quality cam. There are also high-feature cams like the DR900S and U1000 which are tech-heavy but don't offer the same level of vid quality.

But TBH, if all you are looking to do is have proof that you've done no wrong, a single forward facing cam (perhaps with GPS) is all you need- it shows your lane position and movements as well as what is going on in front of you which is where most traffic problems occur. For that there are several good choices starting with the B1W (~$55 US) and going up to some "Pro" models with great video at higher prices.

If you have never researched dashcams, have a look at the homepage of this site and some of the listed articles and guides. Some info is old but still relevant, but the cam listings and ratings are kept fairly up-to-date. If you still have questions or concerns you'll find helpful folks here almost any time of the day or night. With so many different cams available it can seem overwhelming but we can walk you through it and guide you to a cam which will fit your exact needs and wants well- there's a dashcam for almost everybody out there ;)

Phil
 
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What he look at ( i can not see ) i assume are very cheap cameras, and those i dont think are a good idea to go for.
But i have precious little knowledge with cheap cameras to come with alternatives.
Maybe OP should say a price he are willing to use.

I wouldn't even waste money on a cheap dash camera. The components are inferior, the capture quality is poor, and you can bet their long term reliability is non existent. So if OP wants to drop $60 USD on some offbrand setup, I'd tell him to save his money for another ticket. It's the equivalent of seeing a "Name Brand" memory card on Amazon for half price. What you're getting is a knock off, inferior, piece of junk that won't last.

If Op is truly on a very tight budget, I'd steer him towards a V119 or Front Facing Street Guarding. Older models will run him around $100-120 and afford him the reliability and capture quality he needs in the event of an accident, ticket, etc.
 
Some cheap cams are good for reliability and sometimes more, so it's not wise to make sweeping statements on them. I'm still using my $26 G1W clone which I expected to die long ago but it still keeps going. One of 2 $36 GiW-HC cams still functions correctly and is still in use. My 2 G1W-S cams are similar with one functioning well and the other usable. And the B1W is well known as being reliable and with good vid quality for the price, as is the $35 70mai though that one has some issues which owners have to work through to get it to do well.

There are plenty of cams in the $100+ price range which range from reliable with bad vids to unreliable with good vids to essentially being junk. And some of the most expensive cams have reliability or vid quality issues too, so price pays no part in what makes for a good cam or not ;) At best you don't get what you don't pay for so top-level performance does require higher prices, but good enough cams can be had for far less money if you choose wisely (or get lucky as I did with my cheapest cams :cool:)

Phil
 
Some cheap cams are good for reliability and sometimes more, so it's not wise to make sweeping statements on them. I'm still using my $26 G1W clone which I expected to die long ago but it still keeps going. One of 2 $36 GiW-HC cams still functions correctly and is still in use. My 2 G1W-S cams are similar with one functioning well and the other usable. And the B1W is well known as being reliable and with good vid quality for the price, as is the $35 70mai though that one has some issues which owners have to work through to get it to do well.

There are plenty of cams in the $100+ price range which range from reliable with bad vids to unreliable with good vids to essentially being junk. And some of the most expensive cams have reliability or vid quality issues too, so price pays no part in what makes for a good cam or not ;) At best you don't get what you don't pay for so top-level performance does require higher prices, but good enough cams can be had for far less money if you choose wisely (or get lucky as I did with my cheapest cams :cool:)

Phil

I'm not saying price is the ultimate decider, but it is a huge factor. Viofo and Street guardians are some of the most reliable dash cameras in the sub $100-$200 price range. You can go for more features with a blackvue or thinkware for twice the price. I.E. Working as station mode to view camera with a live feed and the ability to send files to the cloud. I can't speak for the reliability of a blackvue or thinkware as I've never used one, but they are very popular models.

None the less, I am sure there are cameras for less than $100 (older models) that are perfectly suitable. But I wouldn't recommend anything less than 1080P capture. As I mentioned older models. G1W-S - Viofo Camera. Reliable Product from ~2016/2017. Now 3 or 4 years old.
 
I use the ROVE Stealth 4K PRO for my dashcam uses, it's very reliable so far. Has great video and audio quality, comes with a GPS unit built into the camera and also has a socket for an optional rear camera. Here's an example from one of my latest videos of the quality that this camera can provide. They are also a Chicago area based company as well:



and you can find the camera at this site here

 
None the less, I am sure there are cameras for less than $100 (older models) that are perfectly suitable. But I wouldn't recommend anything less than 1080P capture. As I mentioned older models. G1W-S - Viofo Camera. Reliable Product from ~2016/2017. Now 3 or 4 years old.

All the cams I mentioned are 1080p30 or better, which is still pretty good resolution for our purposes with dashcams. And age does not render a design bad even when better comes along. Many of the people who ask about my better cams are shocked to learn of their price- they will not spend such a price on something they think they do not need, but only the poorest folks would find a 70mai or B1W beyond their means.

I'd rather see someone have a better cam than my cheap ones, but I don't want them wasting money on something which will not do what they expect of it, or which offers little more value than a cheaper choice. IMHO, if it has good vids and is reliable, then it's a viable choice as a dashcam and should be mentioned :cool:

Phil
 
All the cams I mentioned are 1080p30 or better, which is still pretty good resolution for our purposes with dashcams. And age does not render a design bad even when better comes along. Many of the people who ask about my better cams are shocked to learn of their price- they will not spend such a price on something they think they do not need, but only the poorest folks would find a 70mai or B1W beyond their means.

I'd rather see someone have a better cam than my cheap ones, but I don't want them wasting money on something which will not do what they expect of it, or which offers little more value than a cheaper choice. IMHO, if it has good vids and is reliable, then it's a viable choice as a dashcam and should be mentioned :cool:

Phil

I think you slightly missed my point. Viofo makes good camera. G1W-S is older but 1080p and made by Viofo. I wasn't saying old models are obsolete to the point of useless. Just the opposite. Older models might offer affordability, reliability, and the quality needed at a lesser price. Sure they may not have all the newest features, but for some, all they want is a daily recorder. So far as that goes, a front facing camera for $50-60 would be "OK". However, if OP wants front and rear, then he'll be hitting the $100+ range and probably closer to $150.
 
All the cams I mentioned are 1080p30 or better, which is still pretty good resolution for our purposes with dashcams. And age does not render a design bad even when better comes along. Many of the people who ask about my better cams are shocked to learn of their price- they will not spend such a price on something they think they do not need, but only the poorest folks would find a 70mai or B1W beyond their means.

I'd rather see someone have a better cam than my cheap ones, but I don't want them wasting money on something which will not do what they expect of it, or which offers little more value than a cheaper choice. IMHO, if it has good vids and is reliable, then it's a viable choice as a dashcam and should be mentioned :cool:

Phil

One point I'd like to make: https://dashcamtalk.com/

Lower end cameras like the B1W lack a display screen.
 
Lower end cameras like the B1W lack a display screen.
So? It is a good camera, and most people have a smartphone these days, especially the poor.
 
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